On the Rock Productions Seeks to Innovatively Support Local Artists

 

By Emily Schulten

 

Last spring, three local and likeminded people came together to begin a new initiative that would support local arts in a way that Key West hadn’t yet thought of. On the Rock Productions is still in its first year of producing plays written and performed by local writers and actors, but the work this group is doing goes beyond the stage.

 

On the Rock founders Landon Bradbary, Juliet Gray, and Mike Marrero started with a play they wanted to produce and ended up with a production company that hopes to help local artists come together in new ways to realize similar goals. This debut project was By Popular Demand, co-written by Bradbary and Marrero, which appeared in May.

 

“We formed On the Rock because we wanted to create theatrical and film opportunities for Key West artists. We wanted local writers to be able to see their work transfer from the page to the stage – and screen – and to be a part of that process,” Gray says.

The production company has long-term goals all focused around the collaborative efforts of local writers, artists, musicians, performers, and filmmakers. Part of the mission set up for On the Rock is to offer residents of the Florida Keys the opportunity to participate in any number of ways, large or small.

 

“This town is full of artists. We see their paintings and hear their music every day. This is a chance for us to get to know the people behind the talent,” Bradbary says. To this end, On the Rock is currently developing a live talk show titled, On the Couch with Landon, which will showcase this local talent. In addition, the group has discussed such initiatives as films and a children’s show, as they continue their work producing plays. This includes fostering an environment for those involved to grow into new arenas, should they have ambitions of writing, directing, acting, or otherwise that they’ve not yet fulfilled.

 

On the Rock is unique in that the group boasts a scholarship component. This group has created a way to foster young talent in the Florida Keys. Each season, money is raised to send one student age 12-16 to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he or she will be a part of The Performing Arts Young Performer’s Program over the summer. It was important to Bradbary, Gray, and Marrero to create opportunities to support the ambitions of the youth growing up on these islands.

 

Opening January 29th is Bones and Pie, a staging that comprises five short pieces written by Bradbary, Marrero, Jonathan Rhoads, and Eric Weinberger. This project has also seen the revival of the Eaton Street Theater, now the Key West Theater, after a more than ten-year vacancy. True to form, this production will feature local talent both on and off stage.

 

Bones and Pie will run from Thursday, January 29th through Sunday, February 15th at the Key West Theater at 522 Eaton Street, Key West, Florida. Tickets are available at Keystix.com, and you can find more information on the theater at OntheRockKeyWest.com. You can also look forward to On the Rock’s upcoming production, Free Beer Tomorrow, which will run from Wednesday, April 1st through Sunday, April 15th in the same location.

 

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